Rajasthan Begins Ferozepur Feeder Reconstruction

• 06 Dec 2025

Why in News? 

Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the Ferozepur Feeder canal at Sadhuwali, marking a major initiative to strengthen irrigation facilities in northern Rajasthan. 

Key Points 

• About: The project aligns with the government’s commitment to farmer prosperity by ensuring reliable irrigation water supply to distant agricultural regions. 
• Reconstruction: The feeder’s reconstruction, costing ₹647 crore, aims to improve the diversion of surplus water from Harike Barrage and enhance irrigation reliability for both rabi and kharif crops. 
  • A separate allocation of ₹300 crore will restore the Bikaner Canal, directly benefiting lakhs of farmers and strengthening the state’s century-old canal network. 
• Automation: An investment of ₹695 crore will automate irrigation across 3.14 lakh hectares, increasing efficiency, regulating water flow, and boosting farm productivity in the command area. 
• Capacity: The upgraded Ferozepur Feeder will increase its carrying capacity from 9,000 to 13,842 cusecs, enabling storage of surplus monsoon water that would otherwise flow toward Pakistan. 
• Completion: The works, including concrete lining, reconstruction of regulators, and repairs of railway crossings, are scheduled for completion by October 2027, aligning with the canal’s historic inauguration date. 
• Centenary: The launch of works worth ₹1,717 crore coincides with the 100-year completion of the Gang Canal, originally built under Maharaja Ganga Singh and a lifeline for Rajasthan’s arid districts. 
• Legacy: The project honours Maharaja Ganga Singh’s persistent early-20th-century struggle to secure Sutlej waters for Bikaner despite strong political resistance, technical doubts, and delays caused by World War I.